& V I C I N I T Y
Saturday, January 23, 1999
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C H A N D I G A R H & V I C I N I T Y |
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Saturday, January 23, 1999 |
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spotlight today's calendar |
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Admissions on for nursery
classes Book
on Chandigarh's origin Convention
on education |
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Daler,
Mann his inspiration Make
use of literacy facilities, villagers told |
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Admissions
on for nursery classes CHANDIGARH, Jan 21 — It's a time of the year when parents of tiny tots are on tenterhooks about their wards' admissions and this year is no exception. Most schools have reportedly received an overwhelming response even without any sort of advertisement. Anxious parents hover around the counter waiting for their turn to submit forms. St Anne's Convent School, Sector 32, has kept the procedure short with one draw to decide the fate of 1700 applications for 100 seats which will take place on the premises on February 8. Their only consideration will be that they require girls and boys in a ratio of 3:2. Besides, they have provided 50 more seats for Christians which will form the third section. There will be no draw of lots for these seats. Admissions for nursery and pre-nursery classes are being held simultaneously in Manav Mangal School, Sector 21, which has recently doubled its student capacity since the coming up of a new building in Sector 38. A total of 30 applications have come in for 90 seats. Though they are giving interview dates on a weekly basis, the final interview will be held on February 13. The registration fee, security, admission fee and the monthly charges are Rs 100, Rs 1500, Rs 4000 and Rs 350 respectively. The last date for the sale of prospectusbeing January 28, St Mary's School, Sector 46, will base the admissions on child's behaviour and an interview of the parents to be held on February 10. In case there are vacant seats even after this, another lot will be interviewed in the first week of March. Those admitted will be charged Rs 2300 as admission fee followed by a monthly fee of Rs 300. With 120 seats, over 230 forms already sold and the last date of submission being the 30th of this month, Ankur Nursery School, Sector 14, will conduct an informal talk with the parents though preference would be given to university employees with tuition fee cut down to Rs 500 from Rs 720 for them. Strawberry Field School, Sector 24, has 50 seats each in the playway and nursery class. Striving for a healthy mix of girls and boys, the school will hold an interview with the parents of the child to see if their views are in accordance with school policies on January 25. The school will charge Rs 1000 as registration fee which will be refundable in case the child is not selected. To be conducted over a period of six days beginning from February 9, an interview of the child and parents will be conducted by a panel at St John's High School, Sector 26. Hundred applicants out of 600 applications received will be interviewed daily and a list of the successful candidates will be put up later. In Carmel Convent, Sector 9, from over 900 forms received, 90 will be chosen for the lower kindergarten class. The manager and the principal will conduct the interviews in lots of 60 students from February 6. Having filled up 25 of 50 seats, Stepping Stones, Sector 9, is conducting interviews every weekend for the nursery class. With an admission fee of Rs 5850, the school charges an additional security of Rs 1500 which is refundable in case the student decides to leave. St Xavier's School, Sector 44, with three branches and 250 seats will interview parents about their financial resources to see if they can afford the rising cost of education. They are also planning of hiking various charges of the school. They are conducting interviews within two to three days of receiving applications. Sacred Heart High School,
Sector 26, Vivek High School in Sector 38, among others,
have completed all formalities of admission. |
Book on
Chandigarh's origin CHANDIGARH, Jan 22 — While the city's architecture came under the glare of experts particularly during the international conference of architects recently, the social history and development of its cultural fabric received very little attention. In this light "Chandigarh Lifescape: brief social history of a planned city" released during the same conference comes through as a delightful contribution. It has been written by Dr M. Rajivlochan of the Department of History, Panjab University, Kavita Sharma, Chitleen K. Sethi and Meeta.There is enough material for a light and refreshing reading. The preface says: "Bricks and mortars and architecture do not make a living city. People do. Buildings only decay.People in contrast move through the crevices of time. The traces that they leave often influence the future". The book makes an attempt to find the date of birth of the city. The first resident engineer at the Chandigarh Capitol project Mr K.L. Kapoor in an interview recalls that the symbolic take over of Chandigarh was done on a rainy day in 1950. The Sukhna choe was in floods. A book by the Census department placed the "inauguration" of Chandigarh to Jawaharlal Nehru's visit to village Nagla (now Sector 9) on April 2, 1952. The Tribune mentions that the capital officially shifted from Shimla on September 21, 1953. The book follows the growth of those who lived in the original villages and those who came from outside to live in the city. "There are numerous turbulances in both streams. During the early years, there was a distance between them. As the city has matured both have come closer. In the second part of the book the authors have a closer look at the nature of local resistance during the coming up of the city. The resistance was divided into three broad phases.The first lasted from spring of 1948 till when the acquisition of land was announced approximately in 1950. The second phase marked by sporadic protests which lasted through fifties.The final phase continues through the sixties and the seventies when people had become more aware of the institutional set-up and had greater ability to secure better deals for themselves. The book makes an in-depth study of the life in the original villages, types of houses, kinds of farming and facilities available. The sex ratio in Chandigarh is worse than Punjab. It is 790 women to 1000 men. The book contents that this could mean that either the people of Chandigarh are greater misogynist than their compatriots or there may be more single men coming to work in Chandigarh. The proportion of working to non-working people in the city remains very high. It is interesting to note that the 1991 census shows a person who recorded himself as an atheist. The census records seven Bahai's, 22 Nirankaris and 9 Zoroastrians. The authors, however, comment that the census had underestimated these figures grossly as also in case of a number of sects. The book interviews
youngsters and current inmates for their views on the
city. |
Daler,
Gurdas Mann his inspiration CHANDIGARH, Jan 22 — ‘I not only sing, but also write my own lyrics and compose my own music’, declared the 24-year-old pop singer, Baba Khan, at a press conference at the Chandigarh Press Club today. Drawing inspiration from the likes of Daler Mehndi and Gurdas Mann, Baba, whose first album, Balle ni Balle’ has been released by Venus records and tapes, says, "They sing their own compositions, and so are able to deliver one hit after another". "Hans Raj Hans is my all time favourite, and I am his biggest fan. But I certainly don't try to copy any one singer and have tried to develop my own style", he added. Born at Bishanpura, in Ludhiana district, Baba Khan, who started singing at the age of eight, took his early training from Mohd Sadiqqui. "I used to practice on the same harmonium that Mohd Sadiqqui sahib started his music career with", he said. After shifting from Punjab to Indore, in 1986, he was under the tutelage of the pupils of late Ustad Aamir Khan, Diwakar and Pradeep. Seemingly the only Muslim singer in the era of Punjabi pop, Baba Khan was born as Riaz Posle. Commenting on his ‘rechristening’, he said, "This has nothing to do with the success of Baba Sehgal. But I felt that an easier name in this industry is always an advantage. Every young boy in the family is called ‘Baba’ in India. Thus my name". The music video of his peppy song, "I Want To see You Only", can be viewed on various music channels these days. The music video has been directed by Yogesh Sahu. On the ‘need’ of ‘semi-clad dancing girls’ in music albums, he said, "It's all very easy to talk and say that such things do not suit our cultural set-up. But when one comes down to doing things, then one does follow the popular trends". ‘Balle-ni-Balle’ contains eight songs, which includes romantic numbers and ‘boliyan’. He ended the press
conference by singing his foot-tapping number, ‘I
want to...’, and Mohd Sadiqqui's "Charkhi
Rangeen". |
'Mahaul Theek Hai' to be premiered
in Tihar Jail CHANDIGARH, Jan 22 — What could be a better place to stage a comedy featuring police and criminals than a jail where both can afford to laugh at their own follies. No surprise that Jaspal Bhatti has planned the premiere of his feature film "Mahaul Theek Hai" in Delhi at Tihar Jail on February 3. He said he has already obtained the consent of the Director-General Prisons, in this regard. The film produced and directed by Bhatti is a comedy on criminals and the police. The criterion for distributing passes is also unusual. "Apart from Tihar Jail inmates, all others who have spent at least six months in any jail will be entitled to a pass at the premiere show", he said. Bhatti had "honoured
black marketeers" at the release of his film in
Chandigarh. |
Ms Negi Commissioner
of Customs CHANDIGARH, Jan 22 — Ms Neelam Rattan Negi, Financial Adviser to the Punjab Institute of Medical Sciences, has been promoted and posted as Commissioner of Customs and Central Excise. Earlier, she was
Additional Commissioner, Customs and Central Excise,
Chandigarh Commissionerate. |
Tributes
paid to Joga Singh SAS NAGAR, Jan 22 — Employees of the Punjab School Education Board organised a condolence meeting in the memory of Joga Singh, an eminent poet and a Joint Director of the board, who died here on January 20. Dr Jasbir Singh Ahluwalia,
Chairman of the board, said in the death of Joga Singh
the board as well as Punjabi literature had suffered an
irreparable loss. A poetry contest and a trophy would be
started in memory of the departed poet, he added. |
Chargesheet
to be served on DSP CHANDIGARH, Jan 22 — The Chandigarh Administration while giving its side of the story for suspending Mr Asa Nand, DSP, Vigilance, said tonight that his explanation was called for and considered carefully by the disciplinary authority , who after careful consideration, was, prima facie, of the view that there was no other explanation for the DSP's misconduct except that he had been won over by the accused, who are moneyed and influential. The suspended DSP made a statement yesterday in a section of the press in his defence. The Administration further said Mr Asa Nand was placed under suspension yesterday for serious lapses and series of actions aimed at helping the accused in certain sensitive investigation being carried out by the vigilance cell. A chargesheet detailing
various charges against the DSP is being served on him,
an administration spokesperson said. |
Make use of
literacy facilities, villagers told PANCHKULA, Jan 22 — The state Transport Minister, Mr Raj Kumar, has urged the villagers to make sure that their wards are not deprived of educational facilities being provided by the government. The minister was addressing at a public rally at Bhadona Khurd in Raipur Rani block, near here, today. He said the literacy campaign was not only aimed at covering the male population but also to the female population. While listening to the
demands of the villagers, he said Rs 56,300 would be
sanctioned for the repair of the village bylanes. He
claimed that Rs 72,400 had already been sanctioned for
the repair of the villages' bylanes. |
Convention
on education CHANDIGARH, Jan 22 — The Save Education Committee will organise a convention on January 24 in order to take stock of the growing concern about the education system. The committee comprises intellectuals, educationists, teachers, parents and students. A national convention will be held in Delhi on February 8 and 9. The panel shows its concern over the meagre allocation for education in the Union Budget. While the Kothari Commission had recommended nearly 10 per cent, the actual figures work out to 2 per cent. "A new threat to education in recent years is the emerging form of communalism. State governments have tempered with syllabi and textbooks in a way to promote majority communalism", a member of the committee said. It points out "that august bodies of research in history, philosophy and social sciences are being subjected to political interference so as to promote communal ideology through them. In short, the existing limited secular and scientific content of education is in danger, defeating the very essence of education". The convention will also
discuss various other aspects relating to the fee
structure, "growing commercialisation" and
curtailing the number of seats in institutions. |
KV
teachers' strike on February 26 CHANDIGARH, Jan 22 — Teachers of the Kendriya Vidyalayas of the region will participate in the all India strike, a call for which has been given by the Rashtriya Kendriya Vidyalaya Adhyapak Sangh for February 26. The president of the sangh, Mr J.S. Toor, said the strike was being organised in protest against the recommendations of the Fifth Pay Commission. The main demand of the
teachers is that the number of days of casual leave
should be increased to 12 from the present eight days. |
Lahore Day
celebrated CHANDIGARH, Jan 22 — The Federation of Migrant Groups from North-Western India, now in Pakistan, celebrated Lahore Day at the Sector 10 Leisure Valley today. Inaugurating the celebrations, Prof H.S. Dilgir urged the UT Administration, the governments of Punjab and Haryana to make efforts to promote the traditions of the country. The participants paid
floral tributes to Lav, the elder son of Lord Rama, who
'founded' the city of Lahore, Haquikat Rai and Maharaja
Ranjit Singh who ruled Punjab with his capital at Lahore. |
CHANDIGARH,Jan 22 — Expressing distress at the non-implementation of revised pay scales , the Panjab University Teachers Association (PUTA) has threatened to suspend teaching work one day every week from February 4. A unanimous decision in this regard was taken at a meeting of its executive. In a press note issued here today, Dr S.P .Gautam, president of PUTA, and Dr M. Rajivlochan, its secretary, said, "This is to be by way of a reminder to the authorities concerned that their consistently callous attitude towards providing teachers with a fair wage has disturbed the teaching community considerably." "It is clear that the callous government does not listen to polite requests and only vulgar and harmful forms of protest like strike make it see sense". Teachers will observe a silent protest on January30."If the government still does not listen to the silence, it will be offered as much noise as is appropriate for it", Dr Rajiv Lochan said.The association has also threatened "stringent measures" during the coming examinations. Panel discussion: The Department of Public Administration organised a panel discussion on " Public Administration — retrospect and prospect" here on Friday. The panelists were Prof Pardeep Sahni from Indira Gandhi National Open University, Dr P.S. Bhatnagar, from the University of Rajasthan and Prof S.L.Kaushik of Panjab University. Prof B.S. Ghuman, chairman of the host department, stressed the need to reinvent public administration . The others who participated in the discussion included Prof Shital Parkash and Prof Sahib Singh. Science Quiz: The Panjab University Zoological Society will organise a science quiz in the Zoology-Department on February 2, an official press note said here on Friday. Students from local
colleges and various departments of the university are
likely to participate. |
CHANDIGARH, Jan 22 — Two cyclists have died in separate road accidents in and around the city. Faquir Chand of Sector 38-A was hit by a Maruti car ( DL-5C-5741) near the roundabout separating Sectors 37, 38, 40 and 41. He was injured and admitted to the PGI, where he succumbed to his injuries. The car sped away. The Sector 39 police has registered a case under Sections 279, 337 and 304 -A of the IPC. Meanwhile a milkman, Lakhbir Singh of Ropar district, who was returning home after distributing milk on his bicycle was hit by a tractor-trailer on the Chandigarh-Mullanpur road in the morning. He died on the spot. Scooterists injured: An unidentified scooterist was seriously injured while three others were injured in separate accidents on Friday. An unidentified vehicle hit an unidentified scooterist in Sector 21. Meanwhile Sushil and Ram Lal were injured when their scooters skidded in Sector 22 and Sector 8, respectively. Another scooterist, Ram Pal of Dhanas village, was injured when his vehicle skidded in Sector 3. All the four have been admitted to the PGI. Case registered: A case has been registered against Ram Pal, Som Nath, Krishna Devi and Anju for allegedly harassing Sapna of Sector 40 for bringing more dowry. Sapna had married Ram Pal of Kharar. A case under Sections 406,498-A and 34 of the IPC has been registered against Sapna's husband and his family members. Arrested: Avtar Singh of Sector 45 was arrested for allegedly indulging in eve-teasing near the Senior Secondary School in Sector 23. A case has been registered. Assaulted: A resident of Sector 27, Mr Kamal Raju, was allegedly assaulted by Sukhdev Singh, Paramjeet Singh and Darshan Singh. The three have been arrested and booked under Sections 449 and 506, IPC. Held: Om Prakash of Janata Colony in Sector 25 was arrested while carrying 50 pouches of unauthorised whisky. A case under the Excise Act has been registered. PANCHKULA Booked: A Canter driver has been booked by the police for injuring a car driver while negligently driving his vehicle on the Ambala-Shimla highway, near Sector 20 here, on Thursday. According to the police, the Canter driver, a resident of Dera Bassi, injured Gurmeet Singh, who was driving a Maruti car. He has been admitted to
the Sector 32 hospital in Chandigarh. |
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